Infinity Hall Live

Buckwheat Zydeco

Emmy and Grammy Award-winning artist Buckwheat Zydeco and his band bring the Creole dance party to Infinity Hall. Born Stanley Joseph Dural, Jr. in 1947, Zydeco was raised in a large, musical family in Lafayette, Louisiana. "Growing up, the thing that made me happy was music," said Zydeco. "When you're listening to music or you're playing music, you got no business being sad." Zydeco's father played the accordion, but the young man originally refused to take up the instrument, dismissing the traditional zydeco music of his father's generation. He preferred playing the organ and listening to R&B. That changed in 1976, when he joined the "King of Zydeco" Clifton Chenier as a keyboard player. After learning to play the accordion, Zydeco formed his own band in 1979. For over three decades, Buckwheat Zydeco has been delighting audiences with his contemporary style of creole music. "It's based on the rhythm and blues. Whether you're playing an up-tempo song or a slow song, they always have that energy and that certain beat that go together with the music. It's always played with the washboard," says Zydeco, who plays the accordion, organ, and sings. Buckwheat Zydeco is an accomplished artist. He won an Emmy for his music in the television movie Pistol Pete: The Life And Times Of Pete Maravich and a Grammy for Best Zydeco Music Album in 2010 for Lay Your Burden Down. Zydeco also played at the closing ceremonies during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and performed at both inaugurations for President William Jefferson Clinton. His infectious music appeals to people of all ages. In 2010, Zydeco released his second children's album, Bayou Boogie. Zydeco keeps Louisiana tradition alive with his infectious music, encouraging the audience to boogie to the Buckwheat beat.